Anthony Mayers lived the life of a criminal, in and out of jails and
prisons for more than a decade. On Wednesday, he died a criminal's
death, shot while breaking into a house in northwest Jackson.

Sinartha Bradfield, 31, of 1807 Linda Lane, fired a shotgun blast
through his bedroom window when he heard the glass in the window being
broken out, police said. Mayers, 31, of 304 Jennings St., was fatally
struck in the chest.

There was a small puddle of blood beneath the window Wednesday
afternoon; the center pane of the back bedroom window had been broken,
and a hole from the shotgun blast was left in the bottom-left pane.

It appeared the burglar bars on Bradfield's bedroom window had been
pulled off.

"I hate this happened, but if people continue to commit these kind of
crimes, it's bound to happen," said Jackson police Sgt. Joe Wade.

Mayers had been arrested 14 times since 1992, mostly on burglary
charges, and weathered four stays at the Mississippi State Penitentiary
in Parchman, state and county officials.

Jackson Police Department spokesman Robert Graham said no charges have
been filed against Bradfield.

Bradfield could not be reached for comment.

The case has been referred to the Hinds County district attorney's
office to decide whether grand jurors should hear it.

"It's going to be a tough sell to convict the homeowner, especially if
the facts are what they appear to be," said Matt Steffey, a law
professor at Mississippi College. "The jury will have to ask itself, 'Is
this what a reasonable person would have done to protect himself?'
Certainly waking up to shattering glass is a very frightening thing."

State law says a homicide can be considered justifiable if a person is
protecting himself from being killed or from becoming the victim of a
felony.

Prosecutors also may take into account Mayers' lengthy criminal history
in deciding whether to pursue the case, Steffey said.

Mayers had gotten out of Parchman on July 16, after serving more than
two years for grand larceny, said Claire Papizan, a spokeswoman for the
Mississippi Department of Corrections.

A warrant was issued for his arrest Aug. 13 after Mayers failed to
report to his probation field officer, Papizan said. "We were actively
looking for him," she said.

Mayers' mother, Dela Mayers, would not comment.

Bradfield's home is nestled in a quiet cul-de-sac off Northside Drive.
Each window at his home is protected by burglar bars, while only one of
his neighbors' homes has partial protection by burglar bars.

"This is a real quiet neighborhood," said Paulette Trimble. "But I did
hear something like a boom (Wednesday morning) but I didn't see what it
was. I can't believe that happened here."
Maranda Joyner, another neighbor, was awake Wednesday morning when she
heard a commotion outside. She said other houses in the area have been
burglarized in the past and doesn't think Mayers' shooting will deter
criminals.

"It's not like this is the first time this has ever happened," Joyner
said. "People are still going to be greedy and are still going to do
these kind of things."

There have been 2,154 house burglaries in Jackson this year, according
to police statistics.
Mayers shooting death marked Jackson's 30th homicide of the year